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Monday, November 28, 2011
The Halloween Vortex
5 comments:
- wicKED said...
I love the vortex effect also. I think that the Haunted Overload had the coolest one so far.
- November 28, 2011 at 8:06 PM
- Terrormaster said...
The vortex is one of the best effects ever. And it's a fairly easy build. I've never been able to get the full effect out of mine because of wind disrupting my fog.
I love Haunted Overload but I think this one wins just because of of the crank ghost in the middle of the vortex. Too bad blue lasers don't have as good range as the green because thats the only way to top it.
- November 28, 2011 at 9:15 PM
- Rot said...
Blue WOULD look pretty neat.
I also like the Haunted Overload vortex due to its placement within a giant mouth. Seems like that's a great way to control the fog as well.
- November 29, 2011 at 5:54 AM
- Terrormaster said...
Yeah, I'm considering running mine inside the garage in 2012 to help contain the fog. My only concern is fog coming into the house since our garage is connected to the house. I remember in 2010 I had a fog pipe running along the side of the house. But apparently one of my basement windows doesn't seal closed very well and fog was in the basement. It wasn't dense, but hazy and still packed the swamp scent I had Froggy's add in.
- November 29, 2011 at 8:48 PM
- The Gill-Man said...
I really must add this effect someday. It's incredibly effective...such a perfectly creepy visual
- December 3, 2011 at 12:27 AM


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subset: commoncrawl


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Oprah fans and the MiniVan just squealed.
It's Carrie Bradshaw, sister idol to a generation of toned down Sex & the City watchers on TBS, re-emerging in New York to shoot the sequel. Because the first one didn't suck enough.
The heels, the familiar strut, the bony ass legs, and a very soft light, not unlike the light used in the Mighty Opesie's studio, to make sure Carrie looks nothing like the haggard new mother of twins.
Last time around it was the dress porn that made the movie tolerable. I posted a few exclusive details a couple weeks ago about the script for this film – click here to read. There are also rumours coming out of the UK – translation: not slamdunk – that the girls will be spending some time in London. Whatever. Am most curious how the mute Chinese baby will become a plot device this time.
Meanwhile they're all apparently hating on each other, (also a dumbass story from England) especially Kim vs SJP because she wasn't supportive enough when Kim broke up with her boyfriend, and something about Cynthia supposedly being upset with Sarah Jessica because Sarah Jessica won't do more for the gays. Oh Cynthia. She's too busy trying to live with her own.
Photos from PPNY / GSNY / Splashnewsonline.com and INFphoto.com
There's the strut
Oprah fans and the MiniVan just squealed.


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Lars and the Real Girl
Here it is. Weird and definitely not what anyone was expecting but the next film to grace our local cable stations every day twice a day from Thanksgiving to Christmas and beyond will be Lars and the Real Girl. That is until some billionaire tycoon buys the darn thing and only lets it play once a season in order to preserve it. Thanks for ruining Christmas, billionaire tycoon. It's a Wonderful Life aside, Lars has all the charm, pathos, and even menace of its classic predecessor. Ryan Gosling plays Lars, a goofy under achiever who has seems happy enough in his quirky solitude despite his sister-in-law's maternal pressing for more social interaction. He is liked and respected at work, in the community and has even inspired a crush by the new girl in his office.
Not until he introduces his Internet girlfriend, Bianca, a Brazilian missionary raised by nuns, do we realize his situation is more dire than that of a solitary bachelor. Bianca is a life sized doll made to order and anatomically correct. In Lars' mind she is also a real person. His delusion is complete and Gosling's performance so nuanced that her side of conversations are filled in by your own imagination. At once Lars' brother and sister-in-law seek help as Lars' fragility becomes utterly apparent. The stunning absurdity of the situation filmed with a cunning honesty and a soundtrack that plays at a love story but weaves the underlying sadness from Lars over Bianca and subsequently, the audience, makes it inevitable that we write the dialog and story between them. Disturbing? Maybe, but Lars is loved and protected by the entire community. Not since It's a Wonderful Life has a township been portrayed with such fun and affection. Lars has touched all of them somehow, if only by finally being himself in the midst of his sadness.Continue Reading


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Wind and Cloud
From DramaWiki
- Title: 風雲 (雄霸天下) / Feng Yun (Xiong Ba Tian Xia)
- Also known as: Wind and Cloud / Storm Riders
Season 1[edit]
- Episodes: 44
- Broadcast year: 2002
- Opening theme song: Feng Yun (风云) Wind and Cloud by Jiang De Sheng (江得胜)
- Ending theme song: Yong Yuan Yong Yuan (永远永远) Forever and Ever by Li Yi Chun (李翊君)
Wind and Cloud are orphans raised by the powerful Lord Conqueror, who taught them martial arts in order to help him dominate the world.
User/Viewer Ratings[edit]
- Vincent Zhao as Nie Feng (Wind)
- Peter Ho as Bu Jing Yun (Cloud)
- Chiba Shinichi as Xiong Ba (Lord Conqueror)
- Wong Hei as Qin Shuang
- Tao Hong as Chu Chu
- Annie Wu as Kong Ci / Ding Ning
- Shui Ling as Di Er Meng (Dream)
- Sun Xing as Wu Ming (Nameless)
- Shen Bao Ping as Huo Bu Yun / Huo Lie
- Gao Shu Guang
- Jiang Zu Ping
- Li Jin Rong as Han Lin Er (guest)
Production Credits[edit]
- Producer: Hsu Chin Liang
- Director: Hsu Chin Liang
External Links[edit]
Season 2[edit]
- Episodes: 30
- Broadcast network: CTV
- Broadcast period: 2004
- Ending theme song: Bie Ren De Tian Chang Di Jiu (别人的天场地久) by Fish Leong
Based on the comic book of the same name by Mah Shing Wing.
Wind and Cloud have defeated Lord Conquer. Wind drinks himself into a stupor pining for his wife, Dream, who's long dead. Cloud lives a life of seclusion with his wife, Muse, and their child. Both of them no longer want anything to do with the Martial Arts world.
A stranger wearing an ice mask appears before Wind and Cloud. He wants them to continue to develop their martial arts instead of retiring to their peaceful lives. The stranger then proceeds to complicate and destroy the two sworn brothers' lives. Can Wind and Cloud unite once again to defeat the stranger's nefarious plans or will they forever be puppets of the the stranger wearing an ice mask?
- Zhao Wen Zhuo as Wind 聶風
- Peter Ho as Cloud 步驚雲
- Huang Yi as Dream 第二夢
- Chen Yi Rong as Muse 紫凝
- Chen Guan Lin as Duan Lang 斷浪
- Sun Xing as Lord Conqueror 雄霸
- Li Li Qun as Xu Fu 徐福
- Yang Rui as Bai Ling 白伶
- Yue Yao Li as Tie Kuang Tu 鉄狂屠
- Zheng Guo Lin as Huai Mie
- Qin Lan as Chu Chu
- Feng Shao Feng as Huai Kong
- Ji Qi Lin as Qin Shi Huang
Production Credits[edit]
- Original work: Comic book by Mah Shing Wing
- Producer: Young Pei Pei


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Beat the Streak Report: Weekend, July 16-18
Rusty might be the name of a Griswold but it isn't an appropriate
adjective for our Streakers, as hits were-a-flyin' in Day 1 of the
second season.
Villagers of Streakville put most of their eggs in the Ichiro
Suzuki, Josh Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero, Martin Prado, Albert Pujols and
Alex Rios baskets, and these six delivered to press the forward button
on over 50 percent streaks nationwide.
As if you money-hungry folks needed any better news, Mr. Beat
the Streak himself — Miguel Cabrera — has a tasty matchup tonight,
facing Jake Westbrook, who Miggy has steamrolled over with a .800 AVG
(4-for-5) in his career.
Odds Cabrera extends his streak to 20 games tonight? I like 'em, Johnny.
Time for the weekend's picks
Oh, hello there …
? Miguel Cabrera: 19-game hitting streak; .800 AVG (4-for-5) lifetime vs. Indians starter Jake Westbrook
? Robinson Cano: .448 AVG (13-for-29) lifetime vs. Rays starter James Shields
? Chipper Jones:.392 AVG (20-for-51) lifetime vs. Braves starter Randy Wolf
? Ben Zobrist: .375 AVG (6-for-16) lifetime vs. Yankees starter CC Sabathia
? Lance Berkman: .500 AVG (8-for-16) lifetime vs. Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf
? Denard Span: .458 AVG (11-for-24) lifetime vs. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle
? David Wright:.444 AVG (8-for-18) lifetime vs. Giants starter Matt Cain
? Miguel Tejada: .474 AVG (9-for-19) lifetime vs. Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum
? Brandon Phillips: .429 AVG (6-for-14) lifetime vs. Rockies starter Aaron Cook
? Hanley Ramirez:.600 AVG (6-for-10) lifetime vs. Nationals starter Craig Stammen
Feeling kinda spicy?
? Matt Diaz: .538 AVG (7-for-13) lifetime vs. Braves starter Randy Wolf
? Ryan Theriot: .357 AVG (5-for-14) lifetime vs. Phillies starter Cole Hamels
? Adam LaRoche: .385 AVG (5-for-13) lifetime vs. Padres starter Kevin Correia
You'll thank me later …
? Jose Reyes: .091 AVG (1-for-11) lifetime vs. Giants starter Barry Zito
? Albert Pujols: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley
? Adrian Beltre: .154 AVG (4-for-26) lifetime vs. Rangers starter Cliff Lee
? Adam Dunn: .190 AVG (4-for-21) lifetime vs. Marlins starter Josh Johnson
? Derek Jeter: .143 AVG (2-for-14) lifetime vs. Reds starter Bronson Arroyo
? Bobby Abreu: .167 AVG (2-for-12) lifetime vs. Mariners starter Jason Vargas
Leaderboard time!
"Respy" is alive and kicking after selecting Vlad Guerrero last
night. While it wasn't such a risky pick to take Vlad considering his
career .480 average vs. opposing pitcher Tim Wakefield, I'm always
leery of picking against a knuckleballer because you just never know
when he's going to have one of those days when that ball is just
dancing its little seamed heart out.
Perhaps moronic nuances like this one can help explain why my longest streak of the season is just seven games.
Top MLB streakers
? Miguel Cabrera: 19 games
? Ichiro Suzuki: 14 games
? Jon Jay: 12 games
? Jonathan Herrera: 11 games
? Aaron Cunningham: 10 games
? Buster Posey: 9 games
101 Comments
Have all yankees picked for tonight. Upped my streak to 11 last night with Mauer going 3 for 5.
BTS: Derek Jeter
HR: Robinson Cano
Surv: Yankees over Rays
FYI: Top2500 posted around end of Cubs game but will include the early game data too.
P.S. Bloggers Group doing quite well lately; got 10 members with 10-gamers or better!
@whbirdman9: Streak of 11? Bloggers Group shows 6 — must've joined group at 5. Will include you in Bloggers Group Top2500 today.
Not that it make a difference but Miggy is 5-8 lifetime vs Westbrook. He's 4-5 in the last 5 yrs. GL to all tonight and good on the bloggers for so many of us being in top 2500
Dave, you have Jeter facing Arroyo and the Reds when Yanks are facing Rays this weekend. I know it's a mistake but it happens. I'm working my way up the Bloggers group as well. Almost there now and I have Miggy tonight. Votto in HR BTS and Padres in Survivor.
Wow, Leader is either a die-hard Cubbie fan, has no fear whatsoever, or hasn't been following the Cubs. We will know shortly.
@respy: I was also considering Theriot for exactly same reasons, but his sporatic hitting scared me off. I like Cabrera 'cause he's hit Westbrook each time this year & has gotten a hit against CLE each game this year (except 1st matchup in April). I like those types of stats.
I'm going out on a bit of a limb with Theriot today. He has been playing well as of late, getting lots of at bats, not taking walks (which can be a secret BTS killer!), hitting .300 during day games, and blanton is big time struggling. I had Miggy picked until 10 minutes ago, but I'm getting an eerie feeling from Miggy today. I'm also getting anxious at work and I want to watch my player get a hit this afternoon…
Definitely not a Cubs fan (Twins actually), some fear, and only been following the Cubs moderately. But, the stats are favorable and I went with my gut like I have been. Hopefully he will come through… It's only a matter of time before one of these 20% picked players has an off day (or gets walked 2 or 3 times).
repsy best of luck to you at this point (Theriot is 0-for-3 at the moment.) I absolutely could not understand the Theriot pick but I just read your entry and I do see your reasoning. I went against my usual strategy of picking the high streak hitters and went with Mig. Keep in mind tomorrow's double-header.
"I'm also getting anxious at work and I want to watch my player get a hit this afternoon…"
lol, that is going to suck so much if Miggy gets a hit, because chances are, your gut pick was fueled by wanting to get a hit early and not being able to wait until tonight.
"Miguel Cabrera, 788, 31.52%
Robinson Cano, 385, 15.4
Ichiro Suzuki, 239, 9.56
Martin Prado, 63, 2.52"
Wow, 56.5% of the picks are concentrated in just 3 picks!
Today would have been a great day for an outside the box pick, but I sorta feel that he will come through, provided that he is not pitched around.
Friday's Top Picks of the current Top2500, 126 batters picked overall
Batter, Times Picked, Percentage
Miguel Cabrera, 788, 31.52%
Robinson Cano, 385, 15.4
Ichiro Suzuki, 239, 9.56
Martin Prado, 63, 2.52
Derek Jeter, 61, 2.44
Josh Hamilton, 53, 2.12
Joey Votto, 49, 1.96
… No Selection, 27, 1.08
… Ryan Theriot, 1, 0.04 (Leader)
Highest "No Selection": Page #15 with streak of 13 now back to zero.
Yesterday saw only 11.5% get reset
Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Pick
LaVolpe, 17, pg8, Mi.Cabrera
Deb23, 15, pg14, J.Hamilton
dalywalker322, 15, pg19, I.Suzuki
RIP2TheCompetition, 12, pg41, Mi.Cabrera
00Liber, 12, pg42, Mi.Cabrera
dragbunt104, 10, pg78, Mi.Cabrera
baseballgirlie13, 10, pg93, Mi.Cabrera
goober85, 10, pg95, Mi.Cabrera
leeungaretta, 10, pg100+, R.Cano
champion_88, 10, pg100+, Mi.Cabrera
@champ88: What's that 100+ stuff? Sorting of the BTS database, you fell off Top2500 but should be back on tomorrow if pick hits.
@whbirdman9, sorry forgot about you. You are on Pg#51 with streak of 11. Get you on the list tomorrow.
"Miguel Cabrera, 788, 31.52%
Robinson Cano, 385, 15.4
Ichiro Suzuki, 239, 9.56
Martin Prado, 63, 2.52
Derek Jeter, 61, 2.44
Josh Hamilton, 53, 2.12
Joey Votto, 49, 1.96
… No Selection, 27, 1.08
… Ryan Theriot, 1, 0.04 (Leader)
Highest "No Selection": Page #15 with streak of 13 now back to zero.
Yesterday saw only 11.5% get reset"
Why were only 7 players listed today?
Isn't it normally the top 15 at least?
Also, pretty remarkable that the leader was the only one to use Ryan Theriot today!
"Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Pick
LaVolpe, 17, pg8, Mi.Cabrera
Deb23, 15, pg14, J.Hamilton
dalywalker322, 15, pg19, I.Suzuki
RIP2TheCompetition, 12, pg41, Mi.Cabrera
00Liber, 12, pg42, Mi.Cabrera
dragbunt104, 10, pg78, Mi.Cabrera
baseballgirlie13, 10, pg93, Mi.Cabrera
goober85, 10, pg95, Mi.Cabrera
leeungaretta, 10, pg100+, R.Cano
champion_88, 10, pg100+, Mi.Cabrera"
How did you find my pick if I fell off the Top 2500?
Also, does anyone know how the players are sorted within ties?
Because I have gone 4 for 5 on a given day and still been listed at the bottom of my category.
Is it sorted by total hits within the streak?
@champ88. Listing is small only cause big dropoff of selection due to large selections of top 3. Regarding sorting; I've no clue. You fell off cause you weren't listed in the 100 pages. Two game days ago I was on pg10, yesterday on pg11; & today on 8. In those 3 days I was at top of my group, bottom, then back to top. Go figure.
If MCab and Cano bust out, its probably all over this for the BTS. The insurance company keeps the premium and drink Crystal champgne on our misery.
I went with MCab but like the former leader said, you get that sinking feeling. If its a close game, you know for sure they're not gonna give anything to hit to MCab. They will walk him over giving up a double or HR.
Cano's high avg against Shields was a worry for me. Those matches never go my way.
@champ88: How did I find your pick? We are both in the Bloggers Group 🙂
If MCab does not go through and VLad does, I once again messed up. I am having doubts over changing my pick from VLad. I don't know why but I can't reset again as time is running out on all of us.
champ88: you're so excited. You were up much higher than this last couple of years I remember. Or was that Vinny?
@btsplayer: Don't think it'll go that way. CLE is 16 games out; expect that type of strategy from a team with a chance. If hit comes in 1st 2 ABs, moot point.
Only Cub worth taking is, believe it or not, Aramis Ramirez who is white hot.
Stay away from Cubs in general, this is coming from a Cub fan. They are a train wreck this year.
CC Sabathia is 11-0 at Yankee Stadium.
Chi Sox are also White Hot.
First inning hit for Cabrera.
Cabrera is still hot coming out of the break.
"champ88: you're so excited. You were up much higher than this last couple of years I remember. Or was that Vinny?"
Well I usually get into the high teens or low 20's at some point, but I have had an unusually slow first half this season.
Looks like things might be finally turning around though.
Vinny was the one in the 30's last year.
No I wasn't. I haven't gotten past a 13 game streak in 10 years playing this.
Poor decision on my part today. Good luck to everyone else and their current streaks.
Good news Yankees win!
Bad news my beat the streak is 0 thanks to 0 fer Jeter.
Benjie Molina hits for the cycle! Would've loved to have him for my pick today; just because.
got a hit today and my streaks up to 9 now!! go miguel
SAturday tip:
Cards Wainsright is 8-0 pitching at home.
hey how do you join the bloggers group and what do you have to do to be in it if anything?
Disappointed with tonight. Who would've guessed that Jeter would get 5 ABs and go 0 for 5. My streak was at 11 and it's dead now. I did have Cano for a HR and the Yankees to win, I don't really care about those two. Oh well. Starting over again.
BTS: Carl Crawford
HR: Matt Holiday
Surv: Blue Jays
they changed my hitting streak to 18 thank you MLB for this cool game.
Did anyone have Rickie Weeks for July 15th? The official score was changed from an error to a double on the second at bat. MY hitting streak ended for some reason. Are they going to fix it on the BTS so everybody that had Rickie Weeks for July 15th would have a hit. In my opinion my streak should be at 18. I just confused and nervously hoping that they change it on the game also so I will have an 18 game hitting streak.
njredlegs8 – send me a thousand bucks and you can join the group. LOL!! Go to Beat the Streak and click on Groups. Enter Bloggers and you should be good to go. Welcome aboard!! 🙂 Good luck to you and everyone!!!
@dragbunt: Some bad luck too. A-Ram's 2-out homer in 8th untied the game. In comes Marmol in 9th & strikes out the side. That sealed the Leader's fate; Theriot did not have chance to come up in 9th. Bottom line: Inside/Outside the box… one needs a bit of luck in each & every game.
Oh, I had A-Ram in HR BTS & Cubs in Survivor yesterday; yeah, I'm a hopeless cubbie too
@Bloggers Group: Lost a couple streakers last nite; may have gained a couple new Top2500? Posted in a couple hours.
Saturday July 17
Ichrio for BTS
Cardinals and "Big Train" Adam Wainwright in Survivor
And tip of the day in HR BTS:
Wind in Chicago is blowing out 10mph toward right field this has a Ryan Howard HR written all over it.
Good Luck to all
Commentary: The loss of the leaders streak on Ryan Theriot is tough but the only way to beat the game is to go outside the box at times. You have to roll the dice and take the good with the bad. As I've said before one day this game makes you look like a genius and the next day you could be the village idiot.
Anyone know if Josh Hamilton is playing tonight or if that "injury" is anything significant that will affect his play tonight?
There does not seem to be much here, but I do not want a hurt Hamilton going 0 for 5 or 0 for 1 as a pinch-hitter!
Considerations for today: Ichiror, Kinsler & Polanco (activated today & waiting for BTS to update).
@champ88: If in doubt; don't pick
Josh Hamilton injury was from 2 days ago. He was back in the line-up yesterday just to disappoint late riders of his BTS train.
Only thing that bothered me about Ichiro was that he was lukewarm before yesterday's 0-fer. He had the streak but he really wan't hitting well. Normally, I would jump on the tunaroll the day after 0-fer. I think he will come through though unless Saunders pull out a brilliant one.
I went with Span. If Buehrle spins a beauty out of nowhere which he has done quite a bit in the past, back to reset for me.
Lots of somewhat iffy picks today. Nothing that sticks out and screams @ you.
I've noticed some people went with MCab. Do they still give you warning buttom when picking a hitter from doubleheader? I didn't even bother clicking on det-clev games @ all.
It would be hilarious but yet befitting BTS if most of the top picks bust out and MCab comes through. Its funny but it can happen.
I think there are about 20 days or so left now before the time runs out on the grand prize. Man, the season flew by this year. Learning that bad sushi & Mauer weren't hitting like they were last year took first 2 months of broken streaks to get used to. Now that I get it, the time is running out. Next year, they will up the ante to 5 mil probably.
"Normally, I would jump on the tunaroll the day after 0-fer."
That is why I wanted to pick Hamilton, but I was too worried that he would pinch-hit, like how he did on the "off-day" on Sunday.
I totally forgot about Prado. Seems like a good pick against lefty Narv. Narv has a problem with RHB. Too late to chnage now.
Saturday's Top Picks of the current Top2500, 112 batters picked overall
Batter, Times Picked, Percentage
Martin Prado, 352, 14.08%
Josh Hamilton, 336, 13.44
Ichiro Suzuki, 282, 11.28
Torii Hunter, 178, 7.12
Carl Crawford, 113, 4.52
Evan Longoria, 99, 3.96
Miguel Cabrera, 80, 3.2 (let's play 2)
Derek Jeter, 61, 2.44 (Leader)
Hanley Ramirez, 56, 2.24
Denard Span, 56, 2.24
Reed Johnson, 48, 1.92
Albert Pujols, 44, 1.76
Robinson Cano, 43, 1.72
Michael Young, 42, 1.68
Lance Berkman, 41, 1.64
Matt Holliday, 40, 1.6
No Selection, 37, 1.48
Highest "No Selection": Pg#9 with streak of 17 now reset.
Average day yesterday: 21.5% reset
Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Pick
LaVolpe, 18, pg7, I.Suzuki
00Liber, 13, pg29, C.Crawford
RIP2TheCompetition, 13, pg35, J.Hamilton
dragbunt104, 11, pg59, I.Suzuki
baseballgirlie13, 11, pg69, J.Hamilton
goober85, 11, pg72, D.Jeter
leeungaretta, 11, pg84, C.Crawford
champion_88, 11, pg83, B.Posey (7x by Top2500)
Deb23 @ 15 reset by J.Hamilton
dalywalker322 @ 15 reset by I.Suzuki
whbirdman9 @ 11 reset by D.Jeter
Why Ichiro? .750 vs Saunders this season… Good lemming; good boy.
"Lots of somewhat iffy picks today. Nothing that sticks out and screams @ you.
I've noticed some people went with MCab. Do they still give you warning buttom when picking a hitter from doubleheader?"
They still put the * next to each doubleheader matchup, but I am unsure if they always give you the warning button.
I am sure there will be another doubleheader this year so that we can check that out.
"It would be hilarious but yet befitting BTS if most of the top picks bust out and MCab comes through. Its funny but it can happen."
If he comes through in both games, I probably will avoid him tomorrow.
I would love for him to go 0 for in one of those two games.
RE: Double headers
BTS: the word "doubleheader" instead of pitcher's name
HR BTS: Not sure; never noticed
Survivor: asterisk identifies them
"Josh Hamilton injury was from 2 days ago. He was back in the line-up yesterday just to disappoint late riders of his BTS train."
I was just wondering if the 0 for 4 was just performance or enhanced by injury?
Doubleheader oops: Mi.Cabrera & Boesch took out one 23-gamer & two 22-gamers (all on page#2). Gotta read the rules man; there are no 2nd chances in Game#2.
I have an outside the box pick. Sometimes you have to choose people who aren't popular but are hot and that is who I have chosen. I chose Mark Teixeira and he is hot right now in the month of July and Niemann stinks during the day so taking my chances.
Interesting TB-NYY game & only in the 5th. Crawford 0-4 w/3 SO, Jeter 0-3 and TB leading by 5. Potential to pull Jeter (Leader's pick) and put in Pena — we'll see how it shakes out. But Vinny, you're good to go for tonite.
I told ya. Tex hit a bomb of a HR and I'm good to go for tomorrow.
I have an aversion to picking favored players. Now, suddenly, I'm on the brink of double digits and I'm nervous as anything having picked Delmon Young. I don't know that I can even _see_ the box from here… Good luck everyone!!
damn, I flipped-flopped all night between Craw and Longoria. Looks like i picked the wrong one. Back to sqaure for me. GL to the rest of the Bloggers tonight.
@Vinny: Get boxscore from GameDay. MLB has been hosed most of the day; I was following most games on ESPN. MLB fixed now.
I wonder what is taking so long to update the hits from the Yanks/Rays game since Survivor is already done with the Cards game.
Ah ok. Got you lav. Thanks.
@00liber: I hear you. I was trying to decide between Crawford and Prado and went with the wrong choice, too. Prado was a little too risky to me because he had three hit-less games before the break and has only been 2 for 9 since. Moral of the story? Don't overthink these things until you have a big streak. ;D
Well my pick is already in and it's a good one I feel. I have Hanley today and I won't be home to see what happens but good luck to all today. Royals in Survivor as Bannister is 4-0 during the day and Ike Davis in HR BTS. Good luck to all today.
I went with Miguel Cabrera for today.
He had his 0 for yesterday, like I wanted, although he was a little too bad, going just 1 for 8.
I hope that is not the beginning of a slump.
Still, the Indians are bringing up someone who is doing terrible at AAA with a 5.70 ERA in 18 starts there.
Think of what will happen at the major-league level!
I got scared away from Rios with his 1 for 9 line against Blackburn and for some reason, Blackburn's propensity for holding the best hitter in the opposing lineup hitless, while still getting rocked.
First time in a long time I had back to back O'fers. Jeter the other day and Crawford yesterday both went 0 for 5. 😥
BTS: Ichiro
HR: Joey Votto
Surv: Braves
I think lots of good picks if you can skirt around the rain. Ichiro 800 vs Santana this season; Phillips vs Cook, Prado vs Parra and several more; I'm leaning towards STL-LAD game. Looks like a break between bad weather will allow game to be played; adjust as needed.
@champ88. Careful about picking vs never-before-seen pitchers. One nearly no-hit TEX 2 weeks ago. Do research, find out more about pitch speed/selection so you are not shocked. Personally, I like to see some history between batter/pitcher.
My picks usually come down to 2 guys, I hate hate hate when I see the guy I didn't pick (Hanley Ramirez) get a hit before the guy I did pick. Nerve-racking!
Sunday's Top Picks of the current Top2500, 126 batters picked overall
Batter, Times Picked, Percentage
Miguel Cabrera, 383, 15.32%
Ichiro Suzuki, 257, 10.28
Hanley Ramirez, 238, 9.52
Rafael Furcal, 208, 8.32
Martin Prado, 176, 7.04
Joey Votto, 146, 5.84 (Leader)
Joe Mauer, 94, 3.76
Albert Pujols, 53, 2.12 (pinch?)
Andre Ethier, 48, 1.92
Adrian Beltre, 48, 1.92
Alex Rios, 43, 1.72
Brandon Phillips, 43,
No Selection, 40, 1.6
Highest "No Selection": Pg#3 with streak of 21 now back to zero
Yesterday resulted in 30% resets
Bloggers Group Top2500
UserName, Streak, Page#, Pick
LaVolpe, 19, pg6, R.Furcal
RIP2TheCompetition, 14, pg21, R.Furcal
dragbunt104, 12, pg38, I.Suzuki
baseballgirlie13, 12, pg48, M.Prado
champion_88, 12, pg42, M.Cabrera
goober85, 12, pg50, I.Suzuki
vinny1979, 10, pg89, H.Ramirez
darwri, 10, pg93, I.Suzuki
_Em_, 10, pg100+, M.Prado
00Liber @ 13 reset by C.Crawford
leeungaretta @ 11 reset by C.Crawford
I can't believe Hanley already got a hit. It was shocking to see that when I get out of work. Good luck to my fellow bloggers for later today.
Half way through the Braves-Brewers. Braves have 8 runs on 9 hits and Cabrara and Prado are both 0-fer.
And Furcal/Ethier have 1 more AB barring tie game against LaRussa's good relievers. Pujols most likely comes in to pinch if score stays same; could be a killer Sunday.
Decent chance Furcal will get us a 5th at-bat
Not ruined yet, intentional walk is killer but another at-bat looks possible
Ethier will get 1 more AB in 9th unless pulled or pitched around. One of two outcomes: My streak continues (best of my short 2-year career 🙂 and I jump for joy, or I dust myself off and start a new steak remembering never to pick against STL. If you don't get a hit in 1st 2-3 ABs vs STL, you are rolling the dice the way LaRussa moves relievers in/out per hitter.
The drama builds while the Cardinals take their time in the bottom of the 8th.
hey im just joined ur bloggers group yday as ive been reading your guys stuff for weeks but been out of town nd didnt wanna post from my phone cuz the time it takes and the battery it uses but my streak says 1 in the group but is rly 11 after hanley got me that hit today!! just to let u know
Ethier pickers deserve no sympathy. He is a polar opposite of Rios.
I got extremely lucky. It seems Prado got a really cheap hit to the pitcher. Don't know for sure but never seen a hit to pitcher that wasn't cheap. I guess if its not an error, they have to give a hit.
It looks like 2 more ABs for Furcal is almost certain.
It looks like 2 more ABs for Furcal is almost certain.
As I am typing, G. Anderson ruins it for Furcal. This guy gets absolutely no hits and he gets a double @ the most annoying time. That is BTS for you.
I could care less about Ethier. We need Furcal to come thru!
You know what? Never to pick Dodgers hitters. It seems many of their games become this low hit/run game and/or until one bust a move @ the end where the scrubs at the bottom of the line-up contribute.
Their whole team except Furcal is not hitting. And Furcal looked great today too. The reason I stayed away was because Suppan has killed so many of my BTS dreams over the years. He pitches like a squealing junior high school girl except to the guy I pick. I hate Suppan. He destroyed the hopes of Brewers fan by taking a big payout and delivering a teasing wet T-shirt or a Pillow.
@RIP2: Me too; why I said Ethier vs Furcal? Brain is woozy.
Pujols, unless there are extra innings, just k'oed a few people.
Pujols did KO people since he only pinch hit and didn't stay in the game.
Furcal comes through!
@RIP2: High-5! It was a thing of beauty to watch! Yes, I'm excited.
Furcal people better thank god right now as he just Doubled in his last AB. Ichiro people better pray right now.
This is what I mean. You need 6 or 7 of these BTG God lucks to win this. This is pure luck that either goes your way or not. Look @ the bad luck for Pujol pickers.
@lavolpe man my gameday was messin' up too, I had to refresh & right when it came back I saw "in play, no out"…congrats we survive another day
@bts I agree, no way u can go 57 days with ease
RIP2 & lavolpe: Go get a nice cold one. You guys deserve it!
@RIP2: I was watching; living outside STL, I get all their games — wow. Now on to another day. Rather be lucky than good anyday in this game!
wow why couldnt furcal do that when i picked him a while back? i was on a 7 gamer and he went 0-4 nd now im on a 11 gamer so had he came thru id be at 19 right now!! CMON FURCAL…lol
@bts lol sounds like a great idea
I just saw how many users in our bloggers group were taken out today by Ichiro and Miguel Cabrera.
I was happy at first with my Chipper Jones and Braves picks when the Braves were crusing along. Then it turns out CJ didn't play and my BTS is still at 1. I picked CJ due to is 6 for 7 (.857) numbers off of Parra. When my streaks get paused they don't seem to make it much longer, my 10, 12 and 17 game hit streaks were all pause free. I hope I can break the hex. Then again I'm only at 1 in both games.


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Central Washington School of Karate, Inc. is a Washington state non-profit organization, located in Ellensburg, WA. It is founded by the students of our recently late sensei, Sue Young. We teach and train the karate as handed down to us from Kanken Toyama, and are an associate school of the American Shudokan Association, headed by Morris Mack Hanshi, in Yakima, WA. We offer classes to youth and adults, and emphasize self-defense, self-improvement, self-discipline, and community spirit. We encourage you to call us with your questions or stop by the dojo and speak to us in person.
To offer a safe place for people to find the power within themselves, so that they might share it with others and make our families stronger and our community a better place in which to live.


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Instructions for Using SMART BET
Related Links
Download the SMART BET Calculator in Microsoft Excel format (379K, XLS, Download Microsoft Excel Viewer)
This tool is designed to estimate the impact of implementing a Saving Money and Reducing Trash (SMART) (also known as Pay as You Throw or PAYT) program. The population entered on the Input Sheet should correspond to the residential population to be affected by the implementation of SMART, and the tons of residential waste currently recycled and disposed should correspond to the same population.
To use this tool you will need the following minimum information:
- The residential population to be affected by SMART
- Tons of residential waste disposed (i.e., landfilled or combusted) for the SMART population
- Tons of residential waste recycled and composted for the SMART population
- Disposal cost per ton (landfill tipping fee or combustion facility fee; use a positive number)
- Cost of recycling per ton (if your recycling program is a net source of revenue, use a positive
number; if it is a net cost, use a negative number)
Additional information that can be used to further tailor your results:
- Whether waste is sent to a landfill, a combustor, or some combination of the two (percent by weight)
- The distance in miles to the landfill or combustion facility
- The composition of the disposal stream in percent by weight of various material types
- The composition of the recycling/composting stream in percent by weight of various material types
All user information is entered on the Input Sheet.
Microsoft Excel Security
Since the SMART BET employs macros, you must have Excel security set to allow the use of macros. The following are directions for applying the correct security settings for Excel 2003 and Excel 2007.
Excel 2003
To operate SMART BET, you must have Excel security set to medium (recommended) or low (not recommended). To change this setting, launch Microsoft Excel before opening the SMART BET tool. Once in Excel, go to the Tools menu, click on the Macro sub-menu, and then select "Security". The Security box will appear. Click on the "Security Level" tab and select medium. When set to high, macros are automatically disabled; when set to medium, Excel will give you the choice to enable macros; when set to low, macros are always enabled. When Excel security is set to medium, users are asked upon opening the tool whether to enable macros. Macros must be enabled in order for the SMART BET tool to work. Once they are enabled, the tool will open to the introduction page.
Excel 2007
To allow macros in Excel 2007, launch Microsoft Excel 2007 before opening the SMART BET tool. Once in Excel, select the "Office" icon in the top left-hand corner and click on "Excel Options" in the bottom right-hand corner of the dropdown list. In the Excel Options window, select the "Trust Center" section and click on the "Trust Center Settings..." box. Within the Trust Center Settings window, select the Macro Settings section and select the button for "Disable all macros with notification". Within the Trust Center settings window, select the Message Bar and select the "Show the Message Bar in all applications when content has been blocked" if not previously selected. Next, open the SMART BET tool. You will notice a security warning bar above the tool indicating that macros have been disabled. Select the "Options..." button next to the warning. In the "Microsoft Office Security Options" window that pops up, select "Enable this content" and click OK.


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To buy my books on AMAZON, click on http://tinyurl.com/gkvkevh
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If you like to read a short story...
Click HERE to read Who Cares? by Haidji
See My Books
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SG- Suicide Game is a metaphor about the society where persons almost kill themselves to achieve their goals and forget their dreams, but, in the book you will find also real love, friendship, loyalty, hope and an unexpected finale showing the good essence of the human seed.
Eight thousand candidates sign up for the Suicide Game. Only one can win. Their destination is the Night Stadium: a place of makeup and music, fear and adrenaline, blood and romance, celebration and death. Each candidate has his or her own reason for entering the Game.
The Council runs the Game. The outcome of the Game is left to fate...in the laps of the gods. The candidates will jump to their deaths in order to win everything, before capacity crowds in the Stadium. The public follows every jump, live on TV and mobile device screens, choosing their favorite candidates and betting on their lives. Who will win the game?
Candidate 0907 - Moma - the terrorist?
Candidate 1518 - Fabio Giovanni Cristiani - the cyclist?
Candidate 3507 - Anthony Henrik Gustav - the lawyer?
Candidate 4914 - Jens Plaato - the politician?
Candidate 4918 - Sarah Mondstein - the career woman?
Candidate 5151 - Bianca White - just a girl ?
Candidate 7195 - The Scientist?
…Or is it a completely different Candidate?
The Game's community also includes geeks, mafia, makeup artists, master chefs, models, musicians, spies, terrorists, and many others.
It boldly imagines a place where death and denial are interwoven with hope, choices and the innate desire for happiness. Impressive in the totality of its vision, it is an exploration of the best and worst things in our lives, our nightmares, and especially our dreams.
to buy SG- Suicide Game click on the link for your country
or ask a Bookstore next to you to order the book for you
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Do you believe in love? Do you really Believe in love?
Fancy & Adriaan is a fairy tale; a real love story.
Fancy was born in a flower, in a distant world. Adriaan was born over tree branches, in the same world.
As a fairy and as an elf, they lived their lives and their platonic love, in that world.
One day, Fancy decided to seek permission to go to the human world.
Will Fancy & Adriaan's love survive?
Paperback Ebook
A story about life, love, pain, wishes.
A story that creates images in a reader's mind as would each word
be a paint stroke painting inside an imagination world.
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Haidji's first collection of short stories, Harables - Short Stories 1, brings together eighteen of Haidji's short stories. Each story is prefaced by a quote from the story, such as: "To be shaped for life is never easy…"; "Life seemed to be just a letter, or a few words, in the metaphor of the Earth's biography"; "All lines are drawings!"; "For the Earth to survive, for the human race to survive, we need to overcome our own survivor instinct". Readers will have their own favorites among these amusing, delightful and thought-provoking tales. Everyone will appreciate Haidji's unique eye for detail and imagery and enjoy her sometimes unexpected conclusions.
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The love story between Ines de Castro and King D Pedro I is one of the most tragic, intense and powerful in European history. Their story has become a legend and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction, where the only certainty that remains is the element of forbidden, but everlasting, love. With her latest work, Ines' Words, Haidji brings her unique and magical style to this subject and shows not only the enduring power of the legend, but of love itself.
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Haidji, author of SG Suicide Game, Life into Mist, Fancy & Adriaan, Harables - Short Stories 1 and Ines' Words now brings us Harables - Short Stories 2, with fifteen new stories. Each story showcases Haidji's unique voice and imagery, including "The Gondola Walker", "Lob's Castle", "The Blue Spot", "Final Destination" and "Candles". True to Haidji's form, this book is beautiful and magical. You'll want to read each story more than once, to uncover all Haidji's meanings. Entering Haidji's world, you will find hope, love and wonderful mysteries.
Ines' Words - Mug - by Haidji


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Law Office of David J. Abeshouse: Larger Firm Experience; Empathic Personal Attention
Business-to-Business Dispute Resolution -- Business Dispute Resolution Lawyer, ADR law consultant, and Neutral Impartial Business Arbitrator and Mediator; Past Adjunct Professor of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Law at St. John's University School of Law; Member of Several Honorary Organizations for Business ADR Neutral Mediators and Arbitrators
Nassau County, Long Island, New York -- NY Metro Area (as well as nationwide, and internationally)
Business ADR: Providing You With Fast, Fair, Flexible, Expert, Economical, Customized, Private Justice; and Keeping You Out of Court
Law Office of David J. Abeshouse
626 RXR Plaza
Uniondale (Nassau County), NY 11556
The office: http://www.rxrrealty.com/portfolio/long-island/uniondale-mitchel-field/rxr-plaza/
Co-founder of the Attorney RoundTable ("ART"):
Member of the International Network of Boutique Law Firms:
Audio introduction to David Abeshouse -- copy and paste into browser:
Why you may need what I do – in a nutshell:
Some quick background: My entire legal career has been devoted almost exclusively to Business Dispute Resolution, and after three decades of "practice," I believe I do it better now than I did back then. But it's not due only to practice; it's also because -- having seen what works best for clients, over the long haul -- I now concentrate the vast majority of my efforts in the area of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR – sometimes called Appropriate Dispute Resolution). ADR consists of the alternatives to resolving business disputes in court – you probably have heard of the two main types of ADR: Arbitration and Mediation. But like many business people and even lawyers, you may not understand the stark differences between the two. Perusal of this page and the rest of this website should help explain those distinctions and why ADR may be very useful to you. If you wish to discuss any questions you may have, I am available through the "contact" page of this website, and am ready to provide you with some initial answers and additional resources, as well as my legal representation services or my impartial neutral services, if warranted. And if after discussion it turns out that another lawyer's skill set might be more appropriate for your situation, I'll be happy to refer you to other counsel.
Court litigation vs. Arbitration vs. Mediation – some principal points:
-- Courts are the governmental "default" option – if you don't provide for ADR in advance through a dispute resolution clause in your business contract, then in the event of a dispute (at which point the two sides usually can't agree to anything), parties typically resort to court, thereby subjecting themselves to the considerable expense, risk, delay, distraction, inflexibility, and often irrationality of the court systems. Many judges see themselves as overworked and underpaid (and some are right), and juries can deliver irrational results, particularly as the average juror does not understand business cases. So while courts can work well for some business cases, court is not the right choice for most. And the court system is more burdened now than ever before, as budgetary pressures have caused restrictions on the hours of operation of many courts, cutbacks in personnel and other essential resources, and other dire circumstances, all resulting in even more attenuated delays and inefficiencies than in the past. So, we need ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution -- Arbitration and Mediation) now more than ever.
-- In contrast to court trials, Arbitration generally is much faster (start to finish a typical moderately complex business litigation can take 3 – 5 years in court, whereas in Arbitration, that same case should take between 10 and 15 months, or a quarter to a third of the time); more streamlined (less discovery and motion practice, which often waste much time and money in court litigation); your case receives more individualized attention by an Arbitrator whom the parties select and who is expert in the subject matter involved in the case (as contrasted with most generalist judges who may hear many different types of cases in a given week); there is privacy to the proceeding which is not searchable "public record" like court cases; there is greater finality to the case with far less opportunity for endless appeals; with the aforementioned faster and more streamlined processes (and rarer appellate practice) comes lower costs even when including the fees of the neutral Arbitrator(s); and the parties can customize and control the outlines of the arbitration proceeding in advance in a wide variety of respects by including governing terms in the dispute resolution clause in their agreement (most lawyers lack the experience and knowledge to be able to advise parties regarding what terms best suit their situation, so consult an expert!).
-- And Mediation is entirely different. It can precede court litigation or Arbitration, and thus help avoid (or substantially narrow down) either. It also can occur simultaneously with either, or it can proceed independently. It is the ultimate in flexible, customized dispute resolution. The Mediator acts as a go-between among the parties, using finely-trained skills and experience in prior cases to enhance the participants' communication and move them toward mutually beneficial resolution of the dispute, often directly resulting in their future ability to work together (which would not have been possible through court or even Arbitration), the future growth of both of their respective businesses, the future mending of family and business relationships, and other "win-win" results unique to a mediated solution. Ironically, parties who want their "day in court" rarely receive it if they go to court. (This is due in part to strict evidentiary rules that preclude hearsay and other ways that people speak in "real life" but that are inhibited by evidentiary objections made by opposing counsel and sustained by the judge.) In contrast, through Mediation, the parties get to say what they want, to tell their stories, and to do it in their own style, uninhibited by court rules and procedures, thereby truly giving them their "day in court" opportunity to be heard when they go to Mediation. When I serve as Mediator in a business case, I am a neutral impartial facilitator of the parties' settlement negotiations, with a goal for the parties of negotiating and voluntarily entering into a binding settlement agreement. There may or may not be lawyers representing the parties during the mediation sessions. But the successes achieved through mediation sometimes border on the magical.
Put differently, mediation is a negotiation process facilitated by a trained, experienced, and trusted neutral person (who has no binding power of decision, unlike an arbitrator or judge). In mediation, the parties do not attempt to solve their problem on their own, but rather build consensus with the help of an impartial go-between, or Mediator; however, the parties themselves determine the eventual resolution. Mediation often results in customized win-win solutions not achievable by any other process (e.g., party-to-party or counsel-to-counsel negotiation, arbitration, or court litigation). Although mediation is uniquely useful in situations where the parties will have some continuing relationship going forward, it is highly effective in the vast majority of business disputes. Moreover, even in those occasional instances when mediation does not settle the entire dispute, it often can narrow scope of the claims and issues to be litigated, and also can be used again at a later stage, once the litigants have exchanged information and documents in discovery proceedings and have exhausted their tolerance for legal fees, and so are ready for the cost-effective solution that mediation provides.
Benefits of ADR apply in nearly all cases: Just as court is inadequate as a one-size-fits-all "solution," neither Arbitration nor Mediation is right for ALL situations. However, in my considerable experience, ADR is better-suited for the vast majority of business disputes, whereas court is appropriate in far fewer circumstances. And this is due, in large measure, to the substantial inherent flexibility of the various ADR procedures (the parties and their lawyers -- if any -- control the processes in a way that is simply impossible in court), whereas court litigation is statutory and inflexible. So, again, one-size-fits-all rarely suits anyone. Yet, unfortunately, more cases end up in court than in Arbitration or Mediation. The reasons for this conundrum include myths, misconceptions, confusion, and general lack of accurate information about ADR on the part of business people and lawyers alike, lawyers' concerns over their prospective legal fee earnings per case (clearly greater in court than in the ADR processes), and other negative syndromes that I personally hope to help debunk and defuse (including through my writing and public speaking efforts). The United States Supreme Court has issued several decisions strongly supporting B2B (business-to-business) dispute resolution through ADR over the past decade or so. Imagine how much better our court systems would work if ADR took more of the crushing burden of the huge volume of cases off their hands? With apologies to Voltaire: That'd be "the best of all possible [dispute resolution] worlds."
So: If you want fast, fair, expert, economical, customized, private justice, and want to avoid the vagaries of court litigation in any future possible business disputes, you should turn to ADR (preferably in advance, when negotiating the dispute resolution provisions in your business agreement -- well before any conflict arises). And for business Arbitration and Mediation on Long Island and in the New York Metro area, I'd be pleased and honored if you'd turn to me for your business ADR needs, because that is the area or niche in which I have concentrated my practice, and I am passionate about it. I don't purport to practice as a generalist in sixteen different specialties, while actually doing mediocre work in all and expert work in none. You wouldn't go to your medical general practitioner or your psychiatrist to have orthopedic surgery performed on you; it's the same in today's complex legal world, where there is much to know about each separate discipline, and more developments occurring all the time. I will earn your trust, and you should feel confident that you've made the demonstrably correct choice of ADR counsel, or ADR law consultant, or of impartial neutral Arbitrator or Mediator. Please read on, for more information below and on the following pages.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In 2012, I was selected as a Charter Member of the New York Academy of Mediators & Arbitrators (NYAMA), and a member of the NYAMA's parent organization, the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN). In 2014, I was appointed to the Executive Committee for NY for a 2-year term.
In 2012, I was selected for membership as a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators (CCA). According to its website (http://www.thecca.net):
The College of Commercial Arbitrators is a national organization of commercial arbitrators providing a meaningful contribution to the profession, the public and to the businesses and lawyers who depend on commercial arbitration as a primary means of dispute resolution. CCA promotes the highest standards of conduct, professionalism and ethical practice, develops "best practices," and provides peer training and professional development. The College provides interaction and communication in the profession, and offers an easy means to identify those individuals whose professional training and experience qualify them to undertake the most complex and difficult arbitration assignments.
Membership is by invitation only, and there are fewer than sixty CCA Fellows in New York State, and fewer than five on Long Island.
Some disputes require outright litigation battle to achieve resolution. Others are more susceptible to "creative" business dispute resolution. This means looking for solutions beyond the obvious. It also involves attempting to achieve results that are beneficial or at least palatable for both sides rather than mechanically resorting to bashing each others' heads in (a process that principally benefits the lawyers' pockets) simply because the attorney doesn't know how to do anything else, or is unwilling to try. It also can lead to exploring whether there's a possibility for presently warring parties to work together in future. As one who also wears the hats of a professional neutral Arbitrator and Mediator, I understand this process well.
Most entrepreneurs, professionals (including lawyers), and business managers and owners lack true and complete knowledge about ADR. I hope to educate and enlighten them regarding the advantages of ADR and avoiding more costly court litigation proceedings. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you and to debunk some of the inaccurate myths and misconceptions that seem to re-circulate, based on misinformation, old information, or lack of information about the realities of ADR. I also can tell you about the particular situations where – in contrast – court litigation is preferable to ADR or even necessary; one size does not fit all in the realm of business dispute resolution.
ADR allows parties to take more control over, and often lets them customize the resolution of, their disputes instead of simply having an unwelcome adjudication forced on them by a judge who is constrained by the rules more mechanically to apply limited facts to the law, rather than take a flexible and targeted approach for the greater good of the parties. ADR usually is cheaper, faster, less disruptive, and more beneficial to the parties overall. Disputing parties who utilize ADR usually come out more satisfied with the end result than do those who litigate in court.
If you would like to learn more, either in general or with regard specifically to your own present or future circumstances, please e-mail me through the contact page of this website, or call me at my office number. I'd be happy to speak with you and/or send you some written resources, at no charge. And if you'd like to learn a bit more about me and my approach to the practice of law and ADR, please peruse my "Personal Statement" page of this website.
I place particular emphasis upon effective, responsive communication with clients, helping to inform and guide them through the often unfamiliar and confusing maze of business litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Other central services include helping clients avoid business disputes by performing litigation risk management (troubleshooting for potential areas of litigation liability); representing clients who have received a subpoena from a governmental agency such as the New York State Attorney General or the United States Department of Justice, mandating production of documents in connection with a governmental investigation; as well as occasionally reviewing, and/or negotiating confidentiality and non-competition agreements, commercial leases, and other types of contracts.
My firm practices in New York State and Federal trial and appellate courts, and before Arbitrators and Mediators in the New York metropolitan area. Based on my unique level of experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), I provide ADR consultation services to other attorneys. I also serve as New York or Long Island local counsel to out-of-state lawyers or companies involved in business disputes in this region, respecting and protecting referring professionals' relationships with their clients.
My practice background includes a judicial clerkship with a federal Magistrate-Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY early in my legal training; service with a significant midtown Manhattan law firm; more than a decade as a partner in a medium-sized, high-quality Nassau County, Long Island law firm; and, since 2000, managing my own law practice and neutral practice.
In addition to my law practice (representing clients in business disputes), I devote significant efforts to my service as a professional neutral commercial Arbitrator for several major forums and as a private professional neutral commercial Mediator. As an Arbitrator (on the Commercial Panel of Neutrals of the American Arbitration Association, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, and other forums), I hear and adjudicate business dispute cases, rendering binding Orders and Awards that are legally enforceable like judicial judgments. As a forum-based and private Mediator, I facilitate consensual resolution of business disputes, resulting in the parties' written settlement agreement. In each of my three principal capacities (lawyer, Arbitrator, and Mediator), I handle conflict management in the context of business dispute resolution.
I also have personal experience running a small business: From 1988 through 2007, as President of a domestic real estate company owned by an Australian client, I managed autonomously the business operations and commercial real estate holdings of this entity, acting in all respects as a commercial landlord of property in Manhattan. I regularly serve on the boards of New York not-for-profit corporations, and help to run several legal and business networking groups, enabling me to develop and foster a broad and deep network of trusted professionals on whom I can rely to assist my clients and colleagues for matters that are outside the areas of my expertise -- I am a niche practitioner, concentrating on B2B dispute resolution, rather than a jack-of-all-trades.
* * * * *
What is Business Litigation?
Business litigation (sometimes called commercial litigation) is the judicial (court) resolution of disputes encompassing issues relating to contracts, real estate, business entity (partnership, LLC, or corporation) dissolution, franchising, unfair competition, and other areas of commerce. But it need not be conducted only in court.
What is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)?
ADR includes arbitration (binding), mediation (consensual), conciliation, early neutral evaluation, and other binding and non-binding means of resolving business disputes without resorting to court. ADR is appropriate for many types of cases and clients, and is far superior to court litigation in most (but not all) instances. Knowledgeable counsel can help determine which cases are most suitable for ADR and which should proceed through the courts; how to ensure in advance that you can move your business disputes into the ADR arena, rather than have them go to the governmental "default" option of court; and the best strategies for successful outcomes once you are involved in an arbitration or mediation proceeding, as they usually require lawyering skills and experience that are different from and/or in addition to those that work best in court.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This law firm is a signatory to the CPR "Law Firm Pledge" a/k/a CPR Law Firm Policy Statement on Alternatives to Litigation (c) (mandating attorney knowledge about ADR, and promising to inform clients about the availability of ADR processes to permit and promote clients' informed choices concerning dispute resolution):
Long Island's Top Legal Eagles 2012
http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/top-legal-eagles-2011-legal-directory-a-c -- listed under Alternative Dispute Resolution
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David Abeshouse has been awarded an A-V® Preeminent™ rating (5.0 out of 5.0) from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating an attorney can obtain. This rating, determined through a national peer-review process, indicates that David Abeshouse has been recognized by other attorneys for possessing the highest levels of skill and integrity. He has been "A-V" rated continuously since 1995.
An AV rating shows that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity.
CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.
Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review process that rates lawyers. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell Ratings fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.
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David J. Abeshouse
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View my profile on: LinkedIn | Avvo | Mediate.com
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty."
-- Winston Churchill
David J. Abeshouse:
|(c) 2005 - 2018, David J. Abeshouse


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Love in the City: Catholic Young-Adult Group Challenges Culture in New York
Love Responsibility NYC, a 13-week discussion series, is a hit in the Big Apple. Sept. 11 issue feature.
NEW YORK — A new series of discussions taking place on the streets of New York City is shining a light on authentic love and relationships — and cultivating a following that is spreading to other parts of the country.
Love & Responsibility NYC is a 13-week discussion series that was launched last summer on a street in SoHo by Patrick Langrell, director of young-adult outreach for the Archdiocese of New York. It is run by a group of young adults who moderate small-group discussions based on the book Men, Women and the Mystery of Love by Edward Sri, which provides practical insights from John Paul II's Love and Responsibility.
Langrell, 23, read Sri's book early last summer and was captivated by its message and John Paul II's concrete advice for young adults in knowing how to develop authentic and mature relationships.
"It spoke to me personally and to many friends of mine in the city," says Langrell. "I thought it would be good to have a casual setting whereby young adults from all different aspects of life could come together and talk about the issues of relationships and get a renewed understanding of what real friendship looked like. My sentiments — I wish I had read this 10 years ago — were matched by many of the people I talked to."
Last summer's sessions grew quickly from about 70 people to as many as 130, mostly single young adults and some curious onlookers. The popularity of the group paved the way for a Facebook group that currently has 600 followers who read the book on their own and have online discussions. This summer the series moved to the grounds of the Basilica of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral to better accommodate the crowd of nearly 200 who come from as far as three hours away.
"The book really speaks to a universal experience: the nature of love and friendship," says Langrell. "That's the way I've advertised it. It's a topic everyone loves talking about, and it's been hard to wrap up the discussions."
The response has been inspiring, says Ashley Crouch, director of outreach and programs at the Love and Fidelity Network in Princeton, N.J., and a small-group moderator for Love & Responsibility NYC. "So many vibrant relationships have been formed," says Crouch. "I personally have made some of the strongest friendships through the people there."
Genevieve Fiorito works with Langrell at the archdiocese and attends the discussions with her husband, Daniel. "The subject matter is useful for everyone," she says, "whether single or pursuing a religious vocation, married or dating."
Everyone who comes is at a different stage in their faith journey, but all have a thirst for the truth, adds Langrell.
"A lot are exhausted with the culture, and their conscience is calling them to something more," he says. "Hopefully this shows them that there is something deeper, more real and lasting, and another step to the realization that we have a God who loves us and wants an intimate friendship with them."
Barb Ernster writes from Fridley, Minnesota.


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Indicative Rate * AU$155 to AU$465
Quest Ipswich Apartments, just one kilometre from the Ipswich Central Business District, is the popular go-to place for many wanting a modern and comfortable accommodation experience. There are 64 serviced apartments over three levels, from studio to one to three bedrooms, provide spacious and airy living areas, tasteful décor and fully self-contained kitchens. There's also a communal laundry.
With an adjoining heritage-listed cottage ideal for meetings, Quest Ipswich Apartments regularly hosts small conferences, and visitors can take advantage of the warm Queensland weather with an outdoor pool and barbecue area.
Ipswich Hospital and St Andrew's Ipswich Private Hospital are within walking distance, as are Ipswich Showgrounds and the pride of Ipswich, the historic Queens Park. You're also on the right side of town for a 10-minute drive to the RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre (open on the third Sunday of the month) and the Ipswich Motor Sport precinct.
Combination of a Studio room with shower bathroom and kitchenette interconnecting with a One Bedroom Apartment with spacious living/dining area, full kitchen and laundry facilities. Providing two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Bedding can be Two King Beds or four singles or One King and Two Singles. Sofa bed can be utilised for one additional person at an additional cost of AUD35 per night for a maximum of five people.
Two king bedrooms and one queen bedroom, spacious living area and private balcony. Two bathrooms and private laundry facilities, full kitchen with dishwasher and oven, separate bedrooms. Sofa bed can also be utilised for one additional person or infant in this room type at an additional cost of AUD35 per night.
Studio rooms feature kitchenette with hotplates, microwave, fridge, tea/coffee making facilities. Suitable for one to two guests in a King bed or two singles with private ensuite bathroom. The property features reverse cycle air conditioning, internet access, flat screen televisions and safes in all rooms.
Modern and spacious one bedroom apartment with separate lounge/dining area, bathroom with shower over bath and complete with laundry facilities. A fully self contained kitchen with dishwasher and oven, a King size bed (or two singles) and private balcony. Sofa bed can also be utilised for one additional person at an additional cost of AUD35 per night.
Two spacious bedrooms - one Queen and the second with King Bed or Two single beds - both with ample wardrobe space and in-room safes. Fully self contained kitchen with dishwasher and oven, plus a bathroom featuring a shower over bath as well as private laundry facilities. A sofa bed can also be utilised for an additional cost of AUD35 per night.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Miscellaneous thoughts about miscellaneous matters
Recently the idea of taxing billionaires out of existence was brought up by Elizabeth Warren as part of her run for president. She wants to use the proceeds from this tax to fund her idea of Medicare for everyone, so she thinks that a tax that discriminates against some people is a good idea, even though it would be a statutory taking and a violation of due process. Such ideas have come up in the past, but the basic problem with it still is that removing the incentive to be successful will stop
Updated 11-17-2019 at 07:01 PM by PeterL
I am shocked that young people havent already stood up and demanded their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. Young citizens of the United States of America fairly often take to the streets to demand something for someone, but I dont recall them demonstrating to demand their own rights. I didn't even think about it when I was a young college student and drinker, but having a minimum age for buying and using alcohol is a clear violation of the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Not all wars are examples of diplomacy failing. The economic war that Trump has set up is a personal affair, that he didnt negotiated with anyone; although at Davos he commented that a weak dollar would help U.S. trade. And it will; it will make U.S. goods less expensive than similar goods from other countries. That should help U.S. manufacturers to some degree. But a weak dollar will make the U.S. less desirable as a place to invest, because it will lower the values of capital assets, especially
Hey, we've gotten rid a few legal inequalities, let's try for the rest.
I favor equality before the law, and I'm not shy about expressing that opinion. Here in the U.S.A. we are supposed to have equality both on the federal level and the state level, but legislators have snuck in bits of inequality all over the place. The states are required to treat people equally by the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment:
"All persons born or naturalized in
Social Contract theory, nearly as old as philosophy itself, is the view that persons' moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live. From the article on Social Contract theory in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/
The idea to Social Contract doesnt often come to mind, but its there in the background most of the time, but it has come up a few times


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Use the tools below to refine your search by only displaying reviews with a certain number of star ratings or to only show reviews from a certain time period. Eg click on '1 star' to just display the reviews we have which received a 1 star rating click or 'Within the last month' to display just reviews posted over the last month.
" General Studio Useage. " Read More
" Universal, Dazzling Pack. " Read More
Written by will9696
" Very durable, cutting and musical splash, well worth it! " Read More
Written by drummergnt1
" Vic Firth 5A Sticks, the best i've played " Read More
Written by drummergnt1
" Good very good :) " Read More


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Collin @ MAKE writes:
Tired of seeing the abandoned eyesore on a daily basis, artist Jennifer Marsh decided to cover this old gas station in 5,000 square feet of fabric.
From the site:
With the help of professional and amateur artists from 15 countries and more than 2,500 grade-school students in 29 states, Marsh covered the 50-year-old former Citgo station — pumps, light stands, signs and all — with more than 3,000 fiber panels that are crocheted, knitted, quilted or stitched together.
– Blanket covered gas station on Unusual Life – Documentation of Installation / International Fiber Collaborative


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Tech Ed is a big part of many successful and inspirational teachers' classrooms. But who in American history was more successful and inspirational than George Washington? While he was not necessarily knowledgable in the technology of war, he knew how to find the diverse groups of experts he needed to educate his men. This post is about two of those Revolutionary technology expert educators.
Revolutionary Tech Expert #1: Daniel Morgan
Morgan knew how to party, but he also knew how to handle a new kind of weapon in a new style of warfare. At General Washington's request, Morgan commanded a unit of 500 elite sharpshooters. Their weapon was a long-barrelled hunting-style rifle. The innovation in the design were grooves inside the barrel that spun the shot as it exited. This American technology made Morgan's marksmen accurate at distances that doubles to range of the British musket. He took already talented frontier hunters, and made them into lethal sharpshooters that the seemingly unbeatable British Army could not find, nevermind fight.
In addition to the technology Morgan's men held in their hands, they had tactics that the British had never seen. They hid in forest brush, climbed trees, and picked off British officers and soldiers as they attemped to march through western New England and New York. His best shot, an Irishman, kiled a key British officer while seated in a tree 200 yards away. This type of warfare, hidden rather than on open fields, was considered cowardly by the British... but it was innovative and lethal: part of the reason a rag-tag wannabe nation had the opportunity to become a proud strong world-power. Morgan was an expert in the tools and the tactics, the technology of the 18th Century, and he educated his men to victory.
Revolutionary Tech Expert #2: Baron Friedrich von Steuben
After a crushing defeat in New York that left the powerful British Navy and Army to burn and occupy America's center of commerce, Washington's inexperienced undersupplied Continental Army felt hopeless. In early 1778 they wintered at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania while the British Army enjoyed the luxury of the city. Plagued with an overabundance of disease and a severe shortage of food and shoes, they needed a new plan. At General Washington's request, Baron von Steuben arrived from Prussia with that plan and the technology that came with it.
Von Steuben understood that sleeping quarters, latrines, and kitchens must be separated from one another to prevent the spread of diseases like dysentery. Technical knowledge that the Americans needed to keep their numbers strong. They grew healthier and Von Steuben prepared to educate them with more essentials.
Next Von Steuben trained a model company of 100 men. They learned a new faster way to reload their muskets during battle. He utilized 8 counts and 15 motions, a much faster process than the British. He also taught them to make and use bayonets in hand to hand combat. This new piece of technology and the ability to use it would help Americans successfully carry out the siege of Yorktown, Virginia: final and deciding battle of the war. Von Steuben then challenged his model company to each train 100 more men. In today's terms, his lessons in technology went viral!
The Legacy of Technology in America
We have a diverse groups of technology experts and educators to thank for the foundation of American innovation. We cannot forget that we must draw knowledge from all people, just as Morgan relied on an Irishman and Washington relied on a Prussian. While we might consider our society on the edge of a great turning point in technology, I think the real turning point occured hundreds of years ago in the trees of western New England and the mud of Valley Forge.
Image Credits:


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Misfit Wearables gets some 'Jeopardy!' love
Misfit Shine, the first product from Sonny Vu's Misfit Wearables, was part of a clue on a recent episode of "Jeopardy!"
The reference is at just before the 9:00 mark of this video.
Jeopardy! (Season 29.23-5) – Jason, Keith… by R38102
A tip of the hat to Paul Sonnier of the LinkedIn Digital Health Group for sharing this with me.


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To SEARCH the footage libraries listed below insert your keywords into the SEARCH FIELD
( Above right ) - hit Q. Thumbnail footage clips will appear - select and go straight to the holding site.
Stock libraries in RED indicates they have a SHOWREEL on their profile page.
ABC News VideoSource
Action Sports / MrFootage / AllStockFootage
AP Archive
Axiom Images
CBC Archive Sales /
Radio-Canada Ventes
Celebrity Footage
Conus Archive
CNN Collection
eFootage LLC
Erickson Stock
Global ImageWorks
HosiHO Aerial Stock Footage
Historic Films Stock Archive
Index Stock Shots
International Historic Films
Israel Footage
ITV Sport Archive
Journeyman Pictures
La Camera Stylo
LOLA Clips
NFB - National Film Board of Canada
NBC News Archives
RawCut Archive
Studio Hamburg
STV Footage Sales
SVT Archive Sales
Viral Video
WPA Film Library
If youre familiar with video production, then you might also know the headache of trying to find stock footage without the licence complications brought about by copyrighted material. There are quite a few stock video libraries out there for you to source your stock footage, but the majority of them have a limited catalogue and you will find yourself going back to the search engine time and again.
Here at Stock Footage Online, we aim to simplify your process of sourcing the best stock videos for your picture, documentary or promotional movies. Were always adding to our large number of stock footage libraries so that we remain competitive. We are a stock footage search engine, where you can find everything you need on one site. A quick search for your keyword will return relevant results from a database consisting of hundreds of thousands of stock videos, and you can click straight through to buy your royalty-free licence in a matter of minutes.
When you need to find the best stock footage for your projects, you need Stock Footage Online.


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Training will prepare military recreation managers to assist service members returning to active duty
University Park, Pa. — More than 65,000 military personnel have been wounded by hostile and nonhostile acts in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. In addition to advances in medical care, recreation programming is playing an important role in reintegrating these individuals into military, family and community life. To help these wounded warriors, Penn State has developed a first-of-its-kind training program for military recreation managers worldwide, a program the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has agreed to fund through 2011. The first is planned for Jan. 11-15 at the University Park campus.
"The Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors program provides the knowledge, tools and resources recreation managers need to integrate active-duty wounded warriors into their existing recreation programs," said Ruth Ann Jackson, executive director of the Penn State Hospitality Leadership Institute and co-principal investigator for the project.
Inclusive recreation refers to modifying activities and using adaptive equipment to enable individuals with physical, behavioral or emotional limitations to participate in recreation. For example, military personnel with amputations may require different prosthetic feet to rock climb, stabilization straps to lift weights and flotation aids to swim; while those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who experience adverse reactions to crowds and loud noises may need recreation activities structured in quieter settings enabling participation with family and friends, according to Tammy Buckley, Penn State co-principal investigator of the Inclusive Recreation program.
"Active participation in recreation promotes health and wellness, increases combat readiness and reduces incidents of suicide and destructive behaviors associated with PTSD," added Buckley.
Carol Potter, recreation program manager, DoD Morale, Welfare and Recreation Policy, said, "Appropriate inclusive recreation programming has long been recognized as beneficial in helping the injured, the spouse and the children adjust to and thrive in their new situation. The Department of Defense is extremely pleased to be working with Penn State to provide this training."
Joshua Watson, a Penn State senior in recreation, park and tourism management, understands the value of recreation for military personnel. Previously an Army military police officer in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, Watson said, "Coming to Penn State and being involved in inclusive activities on campus has helped me readjust to civilian life." He will talk about his experiences during the first Inclusive Recreation program.
"For wounded warriors, quality of life issues go beyond caring for their medical, psychological and vocational needs," said Wesley Donahue, director of Penn State Management Development. "It can mean learning to play golf again or participating in new recreational activities."
The Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management is collaborating with the School of Hospitality Managementand Management Development Programs and Services for the education and training programs at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Academy. These outreach activities are part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education, which serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.


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Pay and benefits are foremost on military families' minds according to the soon to be released results of the 2013 Military Family Lifestyle Survey.
The survey, conducted by the nonprofit military support organization Blue Star Families, queried more than 5,000 military family members in November 2012. Military pay and benefits and potential changes in retirement benefits ranked as the first and second most important issues to respondents.
Thirty-five percent said that military pay and benefits are the number one issue while 21 percent chose changes in retirement benefits. Spouse employment opportunities ranked as a close third with 19 percent of respondents identifying it as the most important issue.
"All three of these issues can be considered key to making a smooth financial transition out of the military," the reports' authors noted in the executive summary. "This is particularly noteworthy as estimates point to over one million servicemembers transitioning off of active duty over the next five years."
The survey results were expected to be released at a press conference Thursday.
With financial issues topping military families' list of concerns, it shows family members tend to view military benefits as a complete package for the family -- not as something just for the servicemember, said Debbie Bradbard, deputy director of research and policy for Blue Star Families.
One example, Bradbard said, is how families view the Post-9/11 GI Bill. While 47 percent either have or plan to transfer it to a family member, only 23 percent plan to use or have it used it for themselves, she said.
"Military families kind of think of that benefit holistically. While the [Veteran's Affairs Department] or the [Department of Defense] may think of it as a benefit to the servicemember, the military family thinks of it as a benefit to the family," Bradbard said. "We obviously don't know all the reasons why they said they want to transfer it, but we suspect that people are concerned that it might go away."
The survey also examined other issues, including the impact of operational tempo and deployment frequency on families. That issue ranked seven out of 10, dropping from the top five for the first time since the annual survey's 2009 inception.
Bradbard said deployments have fallen to a lower level of concern thanks to a combination of sequestration and the drawdown in Afghanistan.
"The drawdown is happening, sequestration is happening, and I think there a little bit of insecurity about what's happening with pay and benefits," she said. "At the same time ... a lot of the families that were deploying are now reintegrating or leaving the service all together. So I think you're seeing two things converge."
Officials with Blue Star Families plan to use the survey data to fuel discussion and encourage military family-friendly policies from Congress, the Defense Department and the White House, Bradbard said.
"I think people sometimes look at it and think 'oh you did the survey, that's great, but what happens afterwards?'" she said. "But really this is just the beginning … we try to really get the word out, let people know about it, make sure people read it and let people ask questions."


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Frank Caliendo Shows Pure Genius In This Mock Of ESPN'S 30 For 30 [VIDEO]
I have always thought Frank Caliendo was a good impersonator. I always enjoyed his version of President George Bush and I have always thought he did a pretty good job impersonating his cast mates on Fox Sports. This new video however, shows how good this guy truly is.


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Swiss Onion Bread
Our granddaughter, Lena, used this recipe as part of her 4-H project, and it was very well received. The slight crunch from poppy seeds pairs well with the creamy Swiss cheese.
Total TimePrep: 30 min. + rising Bake: 25 min.
Makes2 loaves (16 slices each)
- 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
- 1-1/2 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided
- 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 6-3/4 to 7-1/4 cups bread or all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons water
- Additional poppy seeds, optional
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add 1 teaspoon sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter, onion, egg, salt, mustard, 3 cups flour and remaining water and sugar. Beat until smooth. Stir in cheese and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
- Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 18x10-in. rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise. Combine filling ingredients; spread to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up each, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Place two ropes, side by side, on a greased baking sheet. Twist ropes together; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Beat egg yolk and water; brush over twists. Sprinkle with a additional poppy seeds if desired.
- Bake at 375° for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Store in the refrigerator.
Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.


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Guess what time it is? Yup, you guessed it. It's time for another installment of my Educator How-Tos! This week, we're going celestial with a phases of the moon demonstration.
The phases of the moon is an important concept that students must understand. After years of experience, we here at the Museum feel we have refined this activity to the point that it can be taught and understood easily.
Step One. Determine what your audience "thinks" they know. We need them to understand the following before we begin:
- The moon orbits earth.
- Sunlight reflects off the surface of the moon to create brightness.
- The moon appears to change shape over time, and we call this change "the phases of the moon."
Some misconceptions you may encounter:
- The moon produces its own light, like the Sun. No, the moon reflects sunlight, and that is why it is illuminated.
- Earth's shadow explains the phases of the moon. This is an eclipse and is a completely different event.
- The moon does not rotate. This is incorrect. For our purposes, the moon will not rotate in the demonstration, but the moon does indeed rotate, albeit more slowly than earth. The moon does not appear to rotate because we always see the same side. However, the reason we always see the same side is because it rotates exactly one time during each orbit around the earth.
- People confuse the dark side of the moon and the far side of the moon. There is indeed a dark side, and a light side for that matter, but this is a cyclical event with alternating sides of the moon being dark and light at different times. The far side of the moon, however, is the side of the moon that we never see from our vantage point on earth.
Step Two. Ask your audience if they can name the phases of the moon. For our purposes today, we will only be considering the full moon, half moon (quarter moon), crescent moon, and new moon.
Special Note: The half moon is traditionally called the quarter moon, but I find it confusing, so I use the term half moon instead. You may handle this challenge in a way that works best for you. Both terms are correct.
Step Three. Explain this key concept before you begin the demonstration: There is always half of the moon that is in darkness and half that is in light at all times — regardless of the portion of the lighted moon that is visible to us on Earth. This can easily be explained by calling the dark side "nighttime" on the moon, and the light side "daytime." Just as on earth, when one side is experiencing daytime, the other side is always experiencing night time.
Demonstration. Now you will demonstrate this concept using a bright light source (an overhead projector works well), a blow up Moon (or another light-colored ball that is large) and a volunteer.
The key concepts determined in Step One (light reflects off the moon as the moon orbits the Earth and the moon appears to change shape) are modeled in this demonstration. Use the following steps to demonstrate moon phases:
- Pick a volunteer from the audience.
- Tell the class that the volunteer is going to represent our perspective of the "moon" from different angles. They should envision viewing the "moon" through the volunteer's eyes.
- Have the volunteer stand directly to the left of the light source (which is representative of the Sun).
- The instructor, holding the "moon", should stand directly in front of the "sun" (about four to six feet away). Now that everyone is in the proper place, you may begin.
- The volunteer, looking directly at the "moon" should describe the amount of light (or darkness) they observe. From this perspective the entire visible portion of the "moon" should be in the light. This is representative of a full moon. When one observes a full moon they are viewing the entire half of the Moon that is in full daylight.
- Have the volunteer move 90 degrees to the left. Again ask them to describe what portion of the visible "moon" is in the light (or dark). From this new perspective, half of the visible portion of the "moon" should be illuminated. This is a half moon (quarter moon). When one observes a half moon they are only seeing half of the moon that is in actual daylight — the rest of the illuminated portion is not visible from an earthbound perspective.
- The volunteer should move 45 degrees to the left. Again, ask them to describe what portion of the "moon" is in the light (or dark). From this new perspective 1/4 of the visible portion of the "moon" should be illuminated. This is what is called a crescent moon. When one observes a crescent moon, they are only viewing ¼ of the Moon that is in actual daylight — the rest is not visible from an earthbound perspective.
- The volunteer should now move an additional 45 degrees to the left. The volunteer will now be standing opposite the instructor and the "moon". Again, ask them to describe what portion of the "moon" is in the light (or dark). From this new perspective, none of the visible portion of the "moon" should be illuminated. This is what is called a new moon. When one observes a new moon, they observing the half that is in "nighttime," but remember — the daytime side is still on the other side.
Key Point Summary:
- The moon is always half daytime and half nighttime.
- As the moon orbits the Earth, our perspective changes and we see different amounts of light and dark area.
- The appearance of the change in shape is just a change in the amount of lighted side visible from Earth.